Gate for swinging bridges



(No Model.)

B. GIRARD.

GATE FOR SWINGING BRIDGES.

Pat gnted .Oct. 22, 1889. o N\ Prmwmho n m Wnhinstnn. n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

EDVARD GIRARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GATE FOR SWING ING BRIDGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,277, dated October 22, 1889.

Application filed October 29, 1888- Serial No. 289,449- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD Grana a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swinging-Bridge Approach Gates or Fenders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to gates similar to those now in extensive use throughout the country for guarding the approaches to rail road-crossings, and to their successful application to guard the approaches of swinging bridges by the use of means which are automatically operated by the turning of said bridge, substantially as hereinafter fully described, and as illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a swinging bridge, showing my improved gates applied thereto, and having one end and the approach contiguous thereto broken away, so as to show the means'for operating said gate. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the approaches to the bridge, with a full side view. of the latter.

Reference being had to the drawings, A represents a swinging bridge, and B B the approaches thereto. Immediately under the ends of said bridge, facing outward, are the cam-surfaces a a, and their conformations are such that at about the transverse center of ,the bridge they come nearest the end,of the same, and their engaging surfaces on either side of this central point extend obliquely backward from the'transverse plane of the said central point toward the sides at about an angle of twenty degrees to twenty-five degrees. The center of length of these surfaces is, for a short stretch, at right anglesto the'sides of the bridge, so that when open for travel the friction-roller b in the end of the reciprocating bar 0, projecting longitudinally and centrally from the abutting wall of the approach B, may rest thereon. This reciprocating bar 0 moves in bearings in said abutting wall of the approach B on a plane below the grade of the surface of the bridge, and extends longitudinally fromsaid cam-surfaces a, through said wall, into a suitable chamber made under the road-bed of said approaches,

where its rear end moves through a suitable guide 0, secured and depending from the roof of said chamber. Aboutthe center of length of said bar, or about at the point where the gates ought to swingacross the road of the approaches, it is offset and provided with a rack D, which is of a length corresponding to the throw of said bar. This rack engages the gear d on the lower end of the vertical shaft are journaled at their inner ends in the sides of thecase F in alignment with each other, and having the gate-poles H H on their ends. The gate-poles II are of the same length, and as the means actuating them are in the middle of the street when they are lowered or lifted simultaneously, through the medium of shaft E and beveled gears h and g g, they close or open said approach.

Surrounding the rear end of the bar C, between the ofltset thereof and guide 0, is a coil expansion-spring l,which is compressed when the bar is pushed back by the cam-surface a,

of the bridge, and which, when said bridge is swung to close travel, urges forward the bar. lVhen said bar is pushed backward by the cam-surface, as the bridge is being swung to open travel, the gate-poles are oscillated to a vertical position, and when said bar moves toward the pivoted center of said bridge, upon the latter being swung parallel with the stream it crosses, the gate-poles are lowered so as to cross'the approaches.

WVhen the poles are oscillated from the middle of the street, it is generally in connection with a double bridge-that is, one havin g two roads traversing it lengthwise. For single road-bed bridges I preferto locate the oscillating point of the gate-poles to one'side of the bed. In order to do this I do not extend shaft E up through the road-bed, but terminate and journal it below. The lower end of said shaft preferably extends through its bearing in bracket 6, and has secured and projecting; therefrom an arm 70, which is connected by means of a connecting-rod K to the arm m, projecting from the lower end of a vertical shaft L, located at the side of the road-bed on about the same transverse plane as shaft E This shaft L extends up through the road-bed into a case F, and has its upper end j ournaled in a cross-frame f. It has a bev eled gear h, which meshes with similar gears g g on spindles G G, and these latter extend through the case and have the gate-poles secured to and projecting therefrom, In fact, the gate-post-actuating mechanism above the ground is just the same as that hereinbefore described when the poles are oscillated from the center of the street.

If desired, posts N may be located on either side of the street or approach B, with their upper ends bifurcated, so that the poles when they reach a horizontal position may rest between the bifurcations.

When the actuating-point of the gate-poles is located at oneside of the road, the pole which closes down over the foot or side walk is shortened. Instead of depending upon a spring to obtain the outward throw of the reciprocating bar, a weight suspended to the end of a rope which passes over a pulley nearer the abutting wall of the bridge-approach and is secured to the end of the reciprocating bar, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, may be used.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with a swinging bridge and transverse cam-surfaces secured to the under surfaces thereof near the end, of a reciprocating bar 0, having arack D, said rack D, gear d, shaft E, bevel-gear 71, spindles G G, and beveled gears g g, as set forth.

2. The combination, with a swingingbridge and cam-surfaces secured to the under side of said bridge near the ends thereof, of a longibridge and parallel therewith, having an offset near its center of length, rack D on the inner side of said offset, gear (I, shaft E, bevel-gear h, spindles G G, beveled gears g g, and gate-poles secured to and projecting from the ends of said spindles, as set forth.

3. Thecombination, with a swinging bridge and transverse cam-surfaces secured to the under side thereof near the ends, of a longitudinally-reciprocating bar 0, having a rack D, said rack D, spring I, gear d, shaft E, bevelgear h, spindles Gr G, beveled gear g g, and poles secured to and projecting from the outer ends of said spindles, as set forth.

4:. The combination, with a swinging bridge and transverse cam-surfaces secured to the under side thereof near the end, of a longitudinally-reciprocating bar 0, having an off set near its center of length, rack D on the inner side of said offset, spring I, surrounding said bar between said offset and the guide through which its rear end passes, shaft E, rocked by said bar, bevel-gears g g, meshing with gear h, and poles secured to the ends of said spindles, as set forth.

o. The combination, with a swinging bridge and cam-surfaces secured to the under side thereof near the ends, of a longitudinally-reciprocating bar O, having a rack D, said rack D, shaft- E, gear d on said shaft engaged by said rack, arm 7t, projecting from said shaft, arm m, shaft L, and connecting-rod K, connecting said arms, gear h on the upper end of shaft L, transverse spindles G G, beveled gears g g, meshing with gear 71, and gate-poles secured-to and projecting from the ends of said spindles, as and for the purpose set forth.

' EDWVAR-D GIRARD. it-messes:

FRANK D. THoMAsoN,

PORTER B. COOLIDGE. 

